Leader self‐awareness: An examination and implications of women's under‐prediction

Self‐awareness represents an important aspect of leadership. However, past research on leader self‐awareness has focused on one component of self‐awareness, self versus others' ratings, leaving the second component, the ability to anticipate the views of others, largely neglected. We examined this second component of self‐awareness by focusing on women leaders who have been found to under‐predict how others rate them. In two studies, we measured how women leaders anticipate the views of their bosses in regard to their leadership. In Study 1, 194 leaders rated their leadership, were rated by their bosses, and then predicted how their bosses rated their leadership. While we found that women under‐predict their boss ratings compared with men, we did not find that boss gender or feedback played a role in this under‐prediction. In Study 2, 76 female leaders identified (via open‐ended questions) possible reasons and consequences of under‐prediction for women in organizations. Results from Study 2 reveal the following: (1) the reasons for women's under‐prediction include a lack of self‐confidence, differences in feedback needs, learned gender roles, and self‐sexism; and (2) the perceived consequences of under‐prediction are negative for both women and the organization. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microbial responses to combined oxidation and catalysis treatment of 1,4-dioxane and co-contaminants in groundwater and soil

Post-treatment impacts of a novel combined hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) oxidation and WO_x/ZrO₂ catalysis used for the removal of 1,4-dioxane and chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) contaminants were investigated in soil and groundwater microbial community. This treatment train removed ~90% 1,4-dioxane regardless of initial concentrations of 1,4-dioxane and CVOCs. The Illumina Miseq platform and bioinformatics were used to study the changes to microbial community structure. This approach determined that dynamic shifts of microbiomes were associated with conditions specific to treatments as well as 1,4-dioxane and CVOCs mixtures. The biodiversity was observed to decrease only after oxidation under conditions that included high levels of 1,4-dioxane and CVOCs, but increased when 1,4-dioxane was present without CVOCs. WO_x/ZrO₂ catalysis reduced biodiversity across all conditions. Taxonomic classification demonstrated oxidative tolerance for members of the genera Massilia and Rhodococcus, while catalyst tolerance was observed for members of the genera Sphingomonas and Devosia. Linear discriminant analysis effect size was a useful statistical tool to highlight representative microbes, while the multidimensional analysis elucidated the separation of microbiomes under the low 1,4-dioxane-only condition from all other conditions containing CVOCs, as well as the differences of microbial population among original, post-oxidation, and post-catalysis states. The results of this study enhance our understanding of microbial community responses to a promising chemical treatment train, and the metagenomic analysis will help practitioners predict the microbial community status during the post-treatment period, which may have consequences for long-term management strategies that include additional biodegradation treatment or natural attenuation.

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Impact of time since collection on avian eggshell color: a comparison of museum and fresh egg specimens

Studies of avian eggshell coloration have been a long-standing research focus in behavioral evolutionary ecology. Museum collections have provided a widely used resource because they allow efficient sampling across broad temporal, geographical, and taxonomic ranges, even for species that are rare and for which sampling in the wild is ethically or practically unwarranted. We used reflectance spectrophotometry across the avian visual spectrum to compare eggshell color of specimens of the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) in two museums (Natural History Museum, UK and Auckland Museum, New Zealand) with each other and with eggshells collected fresh in New Zealand. These data enabled us to test the effects of source and storage in different museums, as well as time since collection, across four metrics of eggshell coloration: blue-green and ultraviolet chroma, overall brightness, and the spectral coefficient of variation. Variation within an egg, within a clutch, and among clutches, was similar between the two museum datasets but different from those of fresh eggs. We found significant differences in all four metrics between the collections, and that fresh eggshells reflected stronger in the blue-green wavelength than in museum eggs. This difference is most likely due to different preservation techniques and storage histories. Furthermore, an effect of time since collection was only apparent in the blue-green chroma and was higher in more recent museum eggshell samples. Our results support the use of historic museum samples in intraspecific studies of shell coloration providing that efforts are made to compare specimens, which were collected during similar periods.     

Sub-cooled and flashing liquid jets and droplet dispersion II. Scaled experiments and derivation of droplet size correlations

This paper describes the results of the first stage of Phase III of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) on liquid jets and two-phase droplet dispersion. This stage included scaled experiments for water, gasoline, and cyclohexane for a range of superheats and nozzles with different aspect ratios. Additional experiments for butane and propane were conducted as a validation exercise and are discussed in the companion paper. Moreover this paper provides recommendations for atomisation correlations in the regimes of mechanical break-up, transition to flashing, and fully flashing. The objectives of this scaled experimental programme are to : (i) provide confidence in the previously proposed modelling methodology (Phase II) across a broad range of initial conditions (ii) update the models’ correlations to generalise further its applicability (iii) recommend further model improvements. Development of new correlations for Sauter Mean Droplet diameter (SMD) and droplet size distribution is based on a best fit of the current scaled experimental data. The new data endorses the previous tri-functional Phase II approach including regimes for mechanical break-up, transition to flashing, and fully flashing, which is hence updated in the new Phase III SMD model. Considerable effort is devoted to capturing the full droplet size range under low-superheat conditions. Also, new enhancements in PDA technology were adopted to enable better quality data under high-superheat conditions. The priority recommendation for further model improvement is better characterisation of the poor quality releases under low-superheat conditions, where this work indicates that extremely broad droplet size distributions are likely. A companion paper (Part I) presents a more general overview of the dispersion problem, implementation of the correlations and subsequent performance against both the current scaled experiments and additional large-scale butane experiments.     

Invasion costs,impacts, and human agency: response to Sagoff 2020

Article impact statement: In an era of profound biodiversity crisis, invasion costs, invader impacts, and human agency should not be dismissed.     

Simple Modeling Tool for Reconstructing Source History Using High Resolution Contaminant Profiles From Low‐k Zones

An innovative but simple analytical modeling tool for reconstructing contaminant concentration versus time trends (i.e., “source history”) for a site using high‐resolution contaminant profiles from low permeability (low‐k) zones was developed and tested. Migration of contaminants into low‐k zones via diffusion (and possibly slow advection) produce concentration versus depth profiles that can be used to understand temporal concentration trends at the interface with overlying transmissive zones, including evidence of attenuation over time due to source decay. A simple transport‐based spreadsheet tool for generating source history estimates fit to the profiles was developed and applied to published soil concentration versus depth data from five distinct areas of four different sites contaminated with chlorinated ethenes. Using the root mean square error as an optimization metric, strong fits between measured and model‐predicted soil data were obtained in the majority of cases using site‐specific values for input parameters. In general, significant improvements could not be obtained by varying these parameters. As a result, the source history estimates generated by the tool were similar to those that had already been generated using more intensive analytical or numerical inverse modeling approaches. This included confirmation of constant source histories at locations where dense nonaqueous‐phase liquid was present (or suspected to be present), and declining source histories for locations where source isolation and/or attenuation had occurred. The advantage of the modeling tool described here is that it provides a simpler yet more dynamic method for understanding source behavior over time than existing approaches. ©2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Use of macroinvertebrate assemblages for assessing performance of stabilization ponds treating effluents from sugarcane and molasses processing

Wastewater discharge from sugarcane processing is a significant pollutant of tropical aquatic ecosystems. For most developing countries, monitoring of the level of pollutants is done mostly through chemical analysis, but this does not reflect potential impacts on aquatic assemblages. In addition, laboratory facilities for accurate concentration measurements are often not available for regular monitoring programs. In this study, we investigated the use of benthic macroinvertebrates for biological monitoring in western Kenya. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled in stabilization ponds treating wastewater from sugarcane- and molasses-based processing plants to assess their composition and abundance in relation to different concentrations of chemical variables. Optimum concentrations and tolerance values were identified for various taxa, and a biotic index was developed that combined tolerance values (ranked between 0 and 10) for the various macroinvertebrate taxa. A succession in composition and distribution of macroinvertebrate taxa was observed from the inlet to the outlet of the pond systems. Diptera dominated in the first ponds that had high concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD₅), and nutrients, while intolerant Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) appeared as the concentrations dropped in subsequent ponds. The effluent quality was classified as “good,” “fair,” and “poor,” corresponding with biotic index value ranges 0–3.50, 3.51–6.50, and 6.51–10, respectively. During validation, the index grouped sites with respect to levels of measured environmental variables. The study revealed that the developed biotic index would help in monitoring the quality of sugarcane processing and molasses effluents before release into recipient aquatic ecosystems, replacing the need for costly chemical analyses.     

The development of alum rates to enhance the remediation of phosphorus in fluvial systems following manure spills

Following the remediation of animal manure spills that reach surface waters, contaminated streambed sediments are often left in place and become a source for internal phosphorus (P) loading within the stream in subsequent flow. The objective of this study was to develop treatment rates and combinations of alum and CaCO(3) to mitigate P from contaminated sediments of different particle size distributions following a manure spill. Sediment specific alum and CaCO(3) treatment rates were developed based upon the resultant alum treatment ranges established for each sediment type. Clay loam sediments required 54% more alum to mitigate P desorption relative to sediments that contain at least 60% sand. Amending sediments with the highest rates of alum/alum + CaCO(3), resulted in a 98-100% reduction in P desorption and a similar water column pH for all sediments types. Observations from this study demonstrated the effectiveness of alum/alum + CaCO(3) to increase P retention in sediments following a manure spill.     

Visual fields in Flamingos: chick-feeding versus filter-feeding

In birds, the position and extent of the region of binocular vision appears to be determined by feeding ecology. Of prime importance is the degree to which vision is used for the precise control of bill position when pecking or lunging at prey. In birds that do not require such precision (probe and filter-feeders), the bill falls outside the binocular field, which extends above and behind the head, thus providing comprehensive visual coverage. Flamingos Phoenicopteridae are highly specialised filter-feeders. They employ a unique technique that does not require accurate bill positioning in which the inverted head is placed between the feet. Feeding flamingos often walk forwards with the head pointing “backwards”. Here we show that in Lesser Flamingos Phoeniconaias minor visual fields are in fact the same as those of birds that feed by precision pecking and that feeding flamingos are blind in the direction of their walking. We suggest that this is due to the requirement for accurate bill placement when flamingos feed their chicks with “crop-milk”, and possibly when building their nest. We propose that chick-feeding may be the ultimate determinant of visual field topography in birds, not feeding ecology.